Sanningumi
by Yamadori
Summary: Blue Dragon Anime. Season 1, between ep. 12 and 13. When Rogi's squad attacks again, Shu, Jiro and Kluke are separated from the others. Can Shu and Jiro agree long enough to get back and protect Kluke on the way? Jiro x Kluke x Shu and J/K/S friendship
1. Prologue

**Wow, only an hour or two since I updated my profile saying I would upload new stories, and I already have one up. :D This is one that I'm looking forward to doing, and hopefully one that will be interesting for you guys, too. Unfortunately, I'm pressed for time at the moment (I may have more time than I think, but I don't know right now), so I can't describe it as well as I would like. But, what I **_**will**_** do is put the story description that had been on my profile.**

_I wasn't going to do this one, but after thinking about it, I thought it might be worth a shot. This is a chaptered story that takes place in Season One, around the time of Episodes 10-13. Basically, during a battle with Grand Kingdom's forces, Shu, Jiro and Kluke are separated from the others; if Shu and Jiro can get along for a minute, maybe they'll be able to get back to the rest of the group before something bad happens. There are a few similarities with _Fateful Fall_ and _Unfortunate Circumstances_. The main focus of this is Jiro/Kluke/Shu friendship and the Jiro x Kluke Shu love triangle - both of these, as far as I know, were fairly absent in the anime (though I haven't watched all of the episodes yet, so there may be something I haven't seen). Which is the complete opposite of the game, where they had been the main relationships. So... I think I might have a few troubles with this one, but I'm looking forward to it all the same. :)_

**So, if there's anything that I didn't address either here or in the summary, please let me know, and I'll try to clear it up next chapter. By the way, if I'm short on time again when I upload new stories, I might start putting the descriptions that had been on my profile. Anyway, that should be everything, so after the disclaimer, read on! ;D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Blue Dragon. If I did, maybe there would have been more of the Jiro x Kluke x Shu triangle in the anime. :P**

She's useless.

That's the thought running through Kluke's mind as she sits, crouched behind a rock, hiding from Grand Kingdom's Shadow User forces.

They were ambushed. They'd thought they had escaped from Rogi's squad, but they hadn't. From the looks of it, he had simply been waiting for the right moment. And he found it, and struck.

And what has Kluke done, to help aid her teammates, her friends, since this ambush has begun?

Nothing.

Unless hiding behind a rock counted as something. She doesn't think it does.

Even Bouquet, who's Shadow can only transform, is able to do more than she can. That image, accompanied with another one of said girl smothering Shu, leaves a bitter taste in Kluke's mouth that takes a long time to leave.

She's wrapped up in her thoughts completely, in the self-incrimination (which if it goes on much longer, could border on self-hate), so it's understandable, if not a costly mistake, that she doesn't see Gilliam's Shadow using Feather Storm until it slices into the rock she's using to hide.

Kluke hits the ground with a little scream, her arms shielding her head as razor-sharp plumes soar over her at a blinding rate. She's knocked to the side a little, with another cry, when one of the feathers ricochets off the frying pan handle sticking out of her light blue backpack.

There's a short second where the dust is kicked up, and in that second she is back home, back in Talta, where dust gets kicked up all the time in the marketplace. But the memory-illusion is fleeting, and then she's back on the battlefield again, a target of enemies she doesn't have a hope of fighting against, that she must rely on her allies to defend her from. And all she can do is fear for their safety, and her own.

"Shu! Jiro!" Zola's voice is loud and clear over the sounds of battle, and Kluke lets her shoulders slump in relief; Zola always knows what to do. She'll get them all out of this, back onto the road where they'll be safe and happy, the only conflicts being Marumaro's groping and Shu and Jiro's fighting - where they won't all be at the risk of dying. "Get Kluke to somewhere safe!"

"But, Zola," it's Jiro; he sounds worried, "what about you-"

"I'll be fine. Marumaro and I can hold them off, and Bouquet will be able to help." At this, Kluke almost snorts, but doesn't, because Zola knows what she's doing. "Now, _go_."

Then, someone's pulling her upwards, and Kluke almost screams again, until she sees that it's Shu who has her by the arm. "Stop struggling! We have to hurry!"

"Sorry." Kluke mumbles, feeling stupid for nearly kicking him in her blind panic.

And then Jiro has her by the other arm, snapping out, "Don't waste time, you two! Zola's going to need help!"

Kluke hears a pained "Maro!" from behind her, and tries to twist around to see, but Jiro's insistent "Come _on_," and the pressure of his hand on her back has her stumbling forward again. Shu yells at him to be careful when she almost trips on a medium-sized rock.

She leans almost unconsciously into Shu, welcoming the familiarity that his presence brings. It's a comfort, and that's something Kluke needs right now. Her hand clings to his shirt, feeling the practically invisible line of the now-sewed tear that he made by accident when he was nine and a half. Just a few months prior, but here, in the midst of fighting, it feels like it's been ages. It almost feels like it happened to someone else.

She realizes too late that she's gotten lost in thought again when she hears Bouquet's shout for them to watch out. By the time Kluke turns her head, it's too late - a hail of large and pointed crystals is coming at them.

With a wordless exclamation, Jiro pushes in front of Kluke and Shu, glowing in the beginning of a Shadow summon, likely with the intent of guarding them from the assault.

But he doesn't move fast enough.

The crystals explode against the ground, which results in the trio being thrown backwards.

Kluke realizes a second before that they're about to go over the edge, but by then, there's nothing she, or any of them, can do to stop it.

She holds tight to Shu, holds tight to Jiro, and shuts her eyes against the scene of them falling over the cliff and into the unknown.

**And the prologue is done! :D I'm sorry it's so short; next chapter will be longer, I promise. :) I feel that maybe I didn't accurately capture Kluke, since this is my first time writing about her in this period of the anime. Also, you likely noticed that the writing focused on Kluke's thoughts and feelings. That's going to be one of the main parts of the story, except that it will alternate between Shu, Jiro and Kluke. So, next chapter it will be in either Shu or Jiro's perspective – I haven't quite decided yet, though I'm leaning towards Shu. Note that, at least for the time being, the "perspective" will not be in first-person. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think! :) I'll try to update this after 10 hits, but it may take some time. The main thing that chooses which story I update/upload next is the poll on my profile, but that's going to be on hold for the next six days (it will resume afterwards), since I'm trying to upload some new stories. So, this story will **_**not**_** affect the poll results, and they will not be cleared. But if you haven't yet, please feel free to vote anyway. :) So, that's everything I have to mention – see you soon! :D**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hello, everyone! :) This is the third update that I mentioned in Kasumi Kusanagi's birthday present (now I just have to decide whether I'll post the other three...). Dear God... It's almost been **_**a year**_** since I published this thing. And this is the second chapter I'm posting! XP Ugh, I have to do something about my stories being so late... But I do have a few ideas about updating, now that I've had a little time to think about it; what I might do is try out a few different ways and see what works out the best. I'm still not really sure... Anyway. Time for review replies!**

**Inita:** Thanks. :) I know; at first, it had been something that disappointed me. Now that I'm used to the anime, and have even come to like the differences between the game and anime (as well as the similarities), it doesn't bother me much anymore. Ooh... That's an interesting idea, about Anime Jiro growing up in Talta... Oh, the writing possibilities! XD Really? Thanks goodness. :) I'd never really written Kluke in that early time of the anime, so I was a bit nervous about whether she would be accurately portrayed... That's great; I'd been more worried about Kluke, but had still been a little worried about the others, too... Really? You seem like you know the anime characters really well; you did an excellent job with Kluke on An and Saph's RP site. I know what you mean. :) (Though whether it's game or anime, I always love writing Jiro.) While I haven't seen you write anything with Jiro yet, I'm guessing he'll be around in your stories (which I'm really going to have to read one of these days, and sometime soon), and I'm sure you'll do fine with him. :) They are fun to write. XD I always feel guilty, though, because I know everyone's going to be waiting to see what happens next, and sometimes I'm slow. Thanks for voting; I don't remember what the next update was, but thank you anyway. :D Thank you~! And thanks again - though long delayed, the update is finally here! :D

**kitty67:** I'm really sorry; I know it's been a long time. By some coincidence, the day that you reviewed was the day I lost my internet connection (otherwise, it probably would've been updated pretty soon). *sweatdrops* Here's the update, though, as requested.

**xXxAyamexXx:** Um... Today? *sheepish look* Sorry; I know it's been a while. I'll try to keep it from taking this long again.

**And review replies are done! :) Wow... This chapter turned out a lot different than I thought... But I can talk about that in the after-chapter note. For now, read on!**

It's dark, and there's something heavy on him.

Opening his eyes completely, groaning, Jiro realizes that it's actually two things - people, rather. Kluke on top of him and, on top of her, Shu. Both of them are unconscious. Kluke is griping his tunic as if it's a lifeline. Shu has an arm around Kluke's shoulders and a hand around Jiro's wrist. Jiro blinks at him dazedly; Shu's holding them like he was... protecting them.

Jiro scoffs at himself; Shu wouldn't protect him, only Kluke. Shu hates him.

Doesn't he? (Jiro eyes the hand around his wrist again and doubts.)

_Stop it, Jiro._ The memory of Rogi's squad attacking their group comes to him with sharp clarity. _If there's ever a time for that, it's definitely not now._

Jiro starts moving to get out of his rival's grip-

-and for a moment, he stops breathing. Then, rapidly, he grabs Shu's wrist.

Jiro can't feel Shu's pulse.

"Shu." His voice shakes. "Shu!"

Jiro isn't seeing what's in front of him. (_House burning, heart aching, Father dying in his arms, numbness when Father goes limp and he can't find a pulse, screaming out his anguish because there's nothing left for him anymore but pain_-) "Shu, wake up!" Still panicked. Still searching Shu's wrist for a beat. _Ugh, that stupid wristband!_ The material of it is so thick, too thick. "God, you _idiot_, get up!" He doesn't like Shu; can't stand him, in fact. This panic is illogical and unnecessary. (_Please, please wake up!_)

Jiro stills when Kluke moans in discomfort, fidgeting before releasing Jiro's tunic and waking fully. She looks down at him, then up at Shu. "Jiro... Shu... What..."

Before Jiro can make any kind of answer, Shu breathes out heavily, and rolls off of them and to the side. Jiro lets out a heavy breath of his own, the one that he's been holding.

Shu's head comes up slow; he's holding it with both hands. "What the heck happened...?"

Jiro props himself up on his elbows; Kluke is still on him, but he hasn't yet told her to get off. He has no idea why (or so he tells himself). "Rogi happened. Don't you remember? His squad attacked us. Where are we, though?" Jiro looks up. They appear to be at the bottom of the canyon; they're very far down, and very lucky to be alive. He doesn't even know how they survived.

Shu swears. "This is just _great_..."

"Don't worry, Shu," Kluke sits up halfway. "I'm sure Zola and the others have gotten away from Rogi by now. We just have to find our way back to them." Kluke starts standing- "Ah!" She falls backward, grabbing for her ankle; Jiro catches her before she can hit the ground.

Shu is at her side an instant. "What is it, Kluke? What's wrong?"

"My... My ankle..." Kluke grits her teeth, trying to talk through the pain. "It... It hurts... Really bad..."

Jiro tries to feel it, to discern the type of injury, if it's a break or a sprain or a twist, but he has no clue. It's times like this that he misses Jina even more than usual; she would've identified the problem immediately and with certainty. Jiro, however, is completely in the dark. Zola and Bouquet are the most medically inclined of their group (though Kluke can make a very, very comfortable dressing), and they're obviously no where to be found.

"You gotta hang on, Kluke." Shu takes her shoulder, and then it's as if he's voicing Jiro's thoughts, "Just hang on until we get to Zola; she'll know what to do."

"O-okay." The whole ordeal has Kluke shaken. Jiro finds that it's difficult to see; when he pictures her, she always seems so sure of herself, so it's hard to see her rattled.

"Here," Shu turns around, still crouching. His hands are cupped about three inches above the base of his spine. "C'mon, Kluke. Get on."

Kluke starts sputtering. "B-but - but what if you need to fight? And what about your backpack?"

"I'll figure something out." Shu is unmovable on the subject. "Just get on, Kluke."

Kluke hesitates, so Jiro gives her a gentle nudge forward. "I'll carry his pack. And if we run into problems, I'll cover you two."

Shu shoots him a grateful look over his shoulder, and quite unwillingly, Jiro is reminded of Shu's hand around his wrist.

Kluke inches her way over to Shu, then latches onto his back when she's close enough. He starts to stand - and immediately stumbles a bit. It catches Jiro off guard. Though he isn't wont to admit it, his rival is strong - but it's that very strength that makes him forget that after Marumaro (of course), Shu is the smallest of the group.

The height difference between him and Kluke would certainly be enough to make Shu stagger, especially if he's still weak from the fall. (How is he doing, anyway? Kluke probably would've asked had she gotten the chance, but they were all distracted... But, anyway, it's not like Jiro cares. Not at all. Of course. Right?)

Jiro shoulders Shu's pack and almost staggers himself. _What in the world does he keep in here?_ "We should head north, towards the hills that Zola pointed out to us when we first entered this canyon. Once we make it back to the elevation we'd been on, we'll turn around and head for where we got separated from the others."

"Now he's the boss all of a sudden..." Shu grumbles under his breath, but Jiro hears him anyway. He withholds comment; getting into it with Shu right now would be a waste of time, no matter how much he'd like to.

"Be nice." Kluke admonishes Shu quietly. She twists her head towards Jiro and nods. "It sounds like a plan."

"Right." He nods back, hoisting the pack strap a little to give some relief to his shoulder. This is going to be a very long walk. "Let's get going, then."

* * *

Through cave-like darkness, the trio navigates the narrow passage with (surprisingly) relative ease. Being the least hindered, Jiro leads the way, followed by Shu carrying Kluke, all of them keeping an eye out for Grand Kingdom - or whatever wildlife might inhabit this place.

Jiro frowns as he uses the rock wall to steady himself. How did they end up in such a mess? Things had been going well... If only Rogi hadn't intercepted them, they'd be that much closer to Nene's fortress, and that much closer to Nene. The idea of it is infuriating. _If this disaster causes us to miss our chance, Rogi will pay._

"Oh, great," Shu mutters from behind him, snapping Jiro out of his thoughts. "Now what do we do?"

There are two paths, and Jiro has no idea which way is the right one.

"Jiro," Kluke pipes up. "Do you know which way is the right one?"

Just what he _didn't_ need to hear.

He swallows. "It should be in between - there shouldn't have been any forks in the path." This is bad - if they choose wrong, the path could take them even farther from the others than they already are. And what do they do if _both_ ways are the wrong way? Jiro rubs at his temples. _I wish Zola was here... She would know where to go._ Not only because she's the best problem solver he's ever seen - she also happens to have their map, which he desperately wishes he had right now.

"Well, we fell to the left, so we should probably go right." Shu shrugs as best he can with Kluke weighing him down. "That makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Unless it twists to the left." Kluke says.

Shu furrows his eyebrows at her. "Then it would just end up meeting with the other path. Hm," he stops, considering. "Maybe the two paths _do_ end up meeting together, and just become one again."

"Well, it probably does that eventually, but it's just a matter of how soon it happens..."

Jiro tunes them out - talking about the details of the paths is just making him confused. He tries to think the way Zola would, but he falls short - just like he does every time, no matter the situation. _No matter how far I think I've come, I always end up back at square one..._ He supposes that's the reason Zola reprimands him as often as she does - even if it bothers him sometimes, it's really just another way of her teaching him.

Jiro wishes she'd taught him how to deal with this.

"... but if it crisscrosses around the bend," Shu twists his head around to shoot Kluke a perplexed look, "then it wouldn't matter which way we-"

"We're going right." Jiro stomps past them, hoping that his frustration isn't about to get them lost. He also hopes that Shu doesn't pick up on the fact that Jiro is agreeing with his reasoning that the rightward path is the correct way to go.

Jiro hears Kluke say in an exasperated voice, "_finally_," and he almost smiles. He makes sure to stay facing forward, so neither of his companions will catch sight of the not-quite-grin.

* * *

Somehow, Jiro had known that they wouldn't make it to the others in a single day, but that doesn't stop him from feeling surprise when the sky starts to redden in the beginning of sunset. It doesn't stop his disappointment.

Jiro stops walking. "We should find a place to set up camp, such as it is. It isn't a good idea to keep going in the dark, so we won't get much farther today." He tries to ignore the stab of irritation the words bring.

As Shu grumbles and sets down Kluke, Jiro stares up at the darkening sky, unable to avoid feeling a faint kind of failure.

* * *

Scraping together supper is difficult. Foodstuffs is usually equally distributed among the Shu-tachi. Each person is usually given a certain type of food to hang onto, and then each of them contributes it at mealtimes; Zola had said this was another sort of training, despite its subtlety, to further build their teamwork. Jiro isn't sure how well that's working, but what he does know is that missing members means missing parts of their meal. As such, they end up with a fairly small meal of rolls, dried meat, and a medium-sized orange split three-ways. However, after the afternoon's exhausting trek, all three kids are deeply thankful for it.

As they're nearing the end of the meal, Jiro speaks up. "One of us should be awake at all times keeping watch, but we should take turns so we can all get some rest. We're in Grand Kingdom now; there's no telling what we'll face, and since we're separated from everyone else, it's better if we aren't caught unawares."

Kluke grabs her arms, as if a sudden chill has taken her. Her eyes meet Jiro's tentatively. "... Do you think anything will happen? Would Rogi really try to hunt us down?"

Jiro pauses for a moment, contemplatively turning the remainder of his bread around and around in his hand. He doesn't want to frighten Kluke. This ordeal is affecting her greatly as it is, and he'd rather not make things worse. On the other hand, he's never been one to gloss things over. Even the old Jiro wasn't one to withhold any truths, even if the honesty was difficult to hear, or tell. "He won't come after us himself; that's almost certain. He would consider Zola a greater threat than all five of the rest of our group combined, so he won't come after only three of us. He might send one of his squad members, but it's more likely that he'll get a soldier unit to scout the area, if he even considers us enough of a threat to waste the army's time." He pauses only for a second. "We should be cautious at all times, but honestly, I doubt anything will happen tonight."

"Great," Shu yawns, "because I don't know about you two, but I need some shuteye."

Jiro glares at the other boy through lidded eyes. "I might as well stay awake all night. Knowing _you_, you'll doze off during your watch and we'll all be massacred in our sleep by some creature half our size."

"Such confidence." Shu snipes. "I'll be sure to wake up and direct the creature your way. If it can even stomach eating you."

Jiro is processing a (clever) response when Kluke yelps, "Can you two knock it _off_ already?" She waits a moment before saying, "Please. Let's just get ready for bed. Who's taking first watch?"

"I will." Jiro doesn't mind in the slightest; he's too riled up from conversing with Shu to sleep anyway. Besides, Shu has already admitted that he's tired, and Kluke is injured; Jiro is the most able-bodied of them to take first watch. "You'll be next, Shu. I'll wake you up in two hours, and then you do the same for Kluke when the time comes."

"Yeah, yeah..." Shu grumbles, fishing around in his backpack for his blanket.

Kluke, already half-inside her bedroll, lies down and pulls the rest up around her. "Good night, Shu. Good night, Jiro. See you in a few."

"'Night, Kluke." Shu murmurs, already drifting off.

Jiro remains silent. He knows nothing will be directed at him from Shu, and he feels too awkward to respond vocally to Kluke; instead, he nods at her slightly as her eyes are slipping shut.

Sighing, Jiro stretches out his legs in front of him, left knee up. He tries to think on the thoughts and memories that aren't as dark as the night beyond the campfire.

… **And it's done! (… Finally.) This took some different turns from what I had originally ended; my original idea was (sort of supposed to be) funnier, and while there might've been a moment here and there in the finalized chapter, it had tons more angst and was more serious than what I had initially intended. Though somehow, I think it came out a lot better that way. *sweatdrops* I have the beginning of the next chapter, Chapter Two, and at least part of Chapter Four, written, so hopefully it won't take so long next time. And I apologize to everyone for how late this is; I'll try to write faster. Anyway… If you can, please review and let me know what you think! :) Updates will be confused as I try and organize myself after being offline for four months, as well as trying to decide if I'll even continue with my latest updating style or try something new… Though in the midst of the confusion, I'll try to churn out something every once in a while. *sweatdrops* But, that's all I have to mention for now – see you soon! :D**


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